t.g.i.mixtape: best songs of the summer

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 04, 2009 |

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With the days getting shorter and the air getting colder, we though that now would be the perfect time to warm things up around here with a very special edition of our T.G.I.Mixtape series paying tribute to the best songs of the summer of 2009. From a giant list of great songs that have been released this summer we have managed to round it down to just ten our of our favorites. So in no particular order, here are some songs that were a significant part of the soundtrack of our summer. -Greg Lozoff

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scroll through this player to listen to all tracks on the mixtape

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - "40 Day Dream"To start us off we have Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' "40 Day Dream". This one comes from Mr. Sharpe's stunning debut album, Up From Below, which is full of summery jams like this one, making it not only one of the best albums of the summer, but one of the best of the year. Now if we could only figure out what in god's name a magnetic zero is.

2. Dirty Projectors - "Stillness Is The Move"Next we have a song that should come as no surprise to be on a list of the best songs of the summer. We are of course talking about "Stillness Is The Move" by Brooklyn's pride and joy Dirty Projectors. Hopefully things have been looking up for the band after their June car accident while on the way to Canada which sent the band's car flying onto it's side. Thankfully everyone escaped the crash with only minor injuries and the band has resumed touring with a slew of dates heading into the fall and winter. Read more about the accident here.

3. Phoenix - "Lisztomania"Versailles, France's Phoenix have been around since the 90s but it really feels as if it was this summer that the band truly became all that they could become with the release of their fourth and perhaps best full length, entitled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Unless you have been living under a rock you have most likely heard the album's first single "Lisztomania" somewhere. Maybe you even caught a performance of the song on late night television. The bottom line is this song has been everywhere this summer and if somehow this is the first you are hearing of it, prepare to be hooked.

4. Passion Pit - "The Reeling"Let's face it, this has pretty much been the summer of Passion Pit. Since the release of their debut Chunk of Change EP in 2008, which contained the insanely catchy "Sleepyhead" the band has just exploded onto the scene. This led to some high expectations for their debut LP, Manners, and I think it's safe to say these expectations have been met, if not exceeded. So here's "The Reeling", the dancy first single from the album.

5. Metric - "Gimme Sympathy"Love it or hate it, Metric's "Gimme Sympathy" has been one of the biggest hits of the summer. Emily Haines and the gang have certainly learned how to write great songs over the years and their latest album, Fantasies, is proof that they haven't slowed down in the least bit. "Gimme Sympathy" is only one of a host of great songs on one of the best albums of the year so far.

6. Animal Collective - "My Girls"This is another song that should come as no surprise. Animal Collective's latest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion has been praised by virtually everyone and this song in particular has gotten a ton of love over the summer. Listen to it while looking deeply into the album cover and you may just fall into a trance.

7. Camera Obscura - "French Navy"Next we have Glasgow, Scotland's Camera Obscura with the song "French Navy" from their latest album, My Maudlin Career. So many good things have come out of Scotland in the past few years, Camera Obscura being one of them. All we can do is hope that those talented Scots continue to pump out great tracks like this one, a surefire best song of the summer.

8. The National - "So Far Around The Bend"Here's an incredible song from an even more incredible compilation. We are of course talking about the Dark Was The Night double disk compilation that was released this summer featuring some of the greatest names in the indie music world. The song we are talking about is called "So Far Around The Bend" and was written by Brooklyn's The National.

9. Regina Spektor - "Laughing With"This one is off of Regina Spektor's latest album, Far. The song is one of Regina's more serious numbers but is nevertheless a standout track on the album and one of our favorite songs of the summer.

10. Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"Finally, how could we pay tribute to our favorite songs of the summer without some Grizzly Bear. Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen and the rest of the Grizzly crew have really outdone themselves this time on their latest album, Veckatimest. And even though this song has been around for quite awhile, it still remains one of the best songs of a summer that has been filled to the brim with great music.